EVOO 2

Some of you know my story, I’m the UC/Olive Oil guy (yawn). Here is an update with some of what we have learned over the past year. The original post is now too long for most to trawl through so hopefully this will be concise but helpful.

I’ve had UC for 15 years and always flared within a few weeks of quitting smoking. Research from Dr A. Hart (University East Anglia UK) led me to try 1 big spoon (10ml) of Extra Virgin Olive Oil 3 times a day, producing a symptom free/smoke free year. It works best on an empty stomach, 1st thing in the morning, before lunch and before bed at night. Yes, I had a healthy colon to start with but this was still achieved despite a very poor UC diet with excesses of take away’s, additives, sugar, dairy, red meat, alcohol.‎‎meat and stress. The significant preventative effect Dr Hart referred to was clearly apparent.

It has been quite a journey which has included going back to school (UC school), 1 long flare and an EVOO course at Villa Campestri, Tuscany.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil and it’s components are being greatly researched with many health benefits being attributed to them. It is proven to be one of the best Superfoods so trying it is a no brainer in my view. Some now say it is EVOO that gives the Mediterranean diet it’s health status. Some studies that closely relate to UC can be found on my original post but here are a few of the main reasons why I believe it is so effective/protective for UC.

1) Kills some nasty bacteria’s like Helibactor Pylori.

2) “Oleocanthal ” (only in EVOO) is a natural low dose anti inflammatory which also helps with pain relief around the body.

3) It’s fatty acids have proven wound healing properties.

4) Speeds up digestive transit time. Every time I quit smoking (without EVOO) my normal BM’s ground to a halt. I experienced bloating and reduced BM’s for a few weeks. Followed by the nastier UC symptoms and inevitable multi daily BM’s and blood!

We’ve all experienced an excess of BM’s per day and this would lead us to presume that slowing digestive transit time could be desirable. Having witnessed the controlled beginnings of UC many times from smoking cessation, I am convinced keeping things moving is very necessary in order to improve UC conditions. Red Meat, alcohol and iron slow things down for me at least so I also now moderate my consumption of these.

I’ve received some amazing life changing stories from EVOO converts over the past year. Unfortunately, it does not work for everyone, though what does? Here are a few tips to source and use EVOO for UC.

1) “Extra Virgin” olive oil has to pass minimum standards to be described as such. “Pure”, “Virgin”, “Real” or any other words preceeding Olive Oil do not. Mistakenly taking plain olive oil for a month resulted in a flare that I eventually had to smoke my way out of.

2) Take on an empty stomach for best absorption and effectiveness. Taking the same volume with food does not work, for me at least.

3) The very freshest, best oils are too strong, a half decent Italian supermarket oil will be just right though must give a slight throat burn/cough or “Oleocanthal burn”. I bought 2 of the best/freshest oils in the world (Villa Campestri) during my flare and they did not work as well. I am still waiting for my M+S Evoo test results in order to compare and help find out why, though a very high polyphenol content could actually be an irritant.

4) Good and generally un mixed oils have a harvest date, 0 – 2yrs is ok but no more.

5) If you are concerned about how much oil is safe to consume in one day, 50 ml is a lot but still considered as ok.

Dr Hart found an unusually low occurrence of UC in people who regularly consumed EVOO. It was highly likely that those taking part in the study would have been using an ordinary oil from a supermarket (not fresh from a Tuscan estate). Judging by what’s widely available in th UK it would most likely have been Italian oil. For those of you outside the European Union I would still recommend Italian oils if possible. Though the reputation of Italian oils is tainted, my 2 experience’s of stronger Spanish (Picual) oils were not so good, I believe some of the Californian oils are produced from this Cultivar. Even the 1st Evoo post failed to show any of the expected strides forward once people began trying the best oils.

So hopefully that helps with some information for buying a half decent oil while avoiding the very best and worst obviously. Sounds crazy but all tried and tested conclusions there.

I will obviously continue to work with EVOO as my main tool for fighting UC and welcome feedback from others in order to optimise this treatment. It has genuinely made me believe I can get the better of my UC free of both cigarettes and medication, I hope you can too!

I would like to dedicate this post to 2 VIP’s in the UC world, Adam and Bev, great inspiring work and thank you!

Graham,
Your story brings hope to the rest of us, and from what I’ve seen, many people have found relief by using evoo, thanks to you! I am currently in remission thanks to the SCD, but should it stop working for me I will be trying evoo and/or Bev’s L-Glutamine+Probiotic. It’s comforting to know that there are better ways to fight UC than dangerous meds with terrible side effects. Thanks for the update!
Nikki

One point I didn’t really make enough of in the previous post was about the preventative benefits of EVOO. This was a significant conclusion of Dr Hart and one I can vouch for. So worth bearing in mind for those in remission or if you have children and are concerned they may develope UC. Having said that, my 8 year old daughter knows how good the oil is and politely refuses…..

Graham Graham Graham, Graham freaking awesome, I thought not a lot can come of this but what the heck, the fact that I am contacting in Italy at the moment and I have a lot of ties here brings this into perspective. Anyhow to the point it’s still early days as in literally a few days but honestly within hours of taking some olive oil I was feeling better call it a placebo whatever I know I was at the start of a really bad flare up ( the last one ended me in hospital) and its gone but not just gone mate normally I run (training for RAF) but always have to stop after a bit to get home to the toilet really annoying, ran 3 miles today and I could have run miles more no problems,, also eating fine normal food no problems, bleeding has tapered down to an almost stop I know this sounds incredible also to me
seeing as I only started 2 days ago , stools are solid (sorry had to mention that) honestly I am over the moon, Mate when I get back to London I will take you out for as many pints as you like cheers feeling fantastic, I will keep an eye on it and let you know but really this is the best I have been in 5 years. I would have drank 3 bottles if it had worked and I love olive oil my missus says we cant afford it the way you use it, lol

Thanks again for sharing

PS when I told my wife about it she said in her country (Uzbekistan) they used olive oil all the time when it eventually was imported in to the country her mum used this for her
ulcers ??? I told her it would have been great if she had told me , anyhow I know now.

I have been thinking alot about this EVOO since I read it the first time. As you write it has good antibacterial effects. But there are also other sources of fat that I think is very good for UCers. Take for example virgin organic coconut oil, its also antibacterial and anti viral. Coconut oil also don’t change it’s fat structure when heated in higher temperatures and therefor is the ultimate vegetable oil to fry your vegetables in at home. Cod liver oil has always and is still taken by pregnant women at least in Sweden for it’s high omega-3 and good fats. Further more, for those who can take milk products Organic Butter has a high rate of butyric acid, it makes up 3% to 4% of butter.

I’m all for these good oils, not just EVOO and they seem to offer many benefits. I occasionally take a spoon of cod liver oil (but don’t tell anyone)! I’m also with you on the butyrate acid, I’ve just added grass fed butter to my regular foods. As you mention vitamin A, I’ve also recently added parsley for phytoestrogens which are great for the gut bacteria and possibly even preventing gastrointestinal inflammation.

I like organic and choose this where possible but I’ve not made that transition yet. Even though things are going great on the oil I continue to make the easier food changes. My “drug reaction” TIA may have left me with some kind of neuropathy so now even more work to do!

Thanks for sharing your valuable information on Adam’s website – it’s good to see there’s someone else from the UK on the site!

Can I ask what EVOO you have had success with in the UK? I know you mentioned the M&S one you are testing at the moment but wanted to check if I pick up a bottle of Napolina or Fillipo Berrio am I in the right ball park or are these likely to be too lower quality?

I’ve taken up using EVOO again about 2 weeks ago along with the other supplements I use because I was getting the tell tale signs of a flare, mostly cramping, bloating, and just not going as normal as I’d like. I would never have known about this if not for you, Graham, but I did know olive oil is the best oil to use. I didn’t get the flare I thought I was getting, thank goodness! But another benefit of using olive oil has been to keep my cholesterol down so I don’t have to take statins. With the other health issues I have, my goal in life has been to be as medication free as possible and as a result, fewer and fewer trips to specialists, such as the gastro and the rheumatologist! The world is a better place with you in it, Graham!

I just reread your posts about olive oil and all the studies-I decided to try a spoonful; not at bad as I’d thought. Do you think taking it in a bit of applesauce would compromise it’s benefits? Does it clog up your arteries while it’s helping your colon? I am considering adding this to my regimen. Thanks for all the research about it Graham!

Graham – This all sounds very interesting, I am 24, from Kent, UK and have been dealing with UC for 7 years now, I’ve had many upsets but generally speaking I lead the life i want and am optimistic about the future. I’m also prone to drinking alcohol and all the above foods you’ve listed as i find it hard to discipline a proper diet, I used to smoke which did help but it was more sociably so i decided to stop all together. Probiotics have prevented mild flare ups turning into big ones and medication has kept me more or less stable, apart from the few hospital visits over the years. I’m currently on azathioprine which is a drag but nothing i can’t get over, currently i am in full remission and thats always the goal. I would just like to ask how restricted are you keeping your diet now with EVOO? And has it enabled you to stop meds all together?

Harry,
When my flare (from taking non Evoo oil) started I tried many of the big hitters and drastically changed my diet for the better. None of these body fuel changes worked like the oil but we can’t ignore the evidence so I have continued to make improvements to what was an appalling diet that may have even placed me here. I was put on Asacol suppositories which helped but within 2 months had a stroke like health crash which the consultant attributed as a drug reaction. I then smoked but only for 4 months in order to totally heal my colon. All is great now and I will not be taking meds for the foreseeable future.

Like you I am unable to follow a specific diet but I have now set some rules. We may have this disease from our genes, antibiotics, bad diet or a combination. From what I have learned, I believe our gut is like a major organ and what populates it is crucial but may be irreparably damaged. I also believe these changes will take years and not months to effectively cultivate the desired intestinal garden. I refuse to live like a monk but when there is a choice I avoid processed, refined carbs and added sugar. I go out of my way to eat fish, oats, fibre, fruit, nuts and generally real natural foods. Also good quality raw eggs and grass fed butter for their butyric acid. Fatty acids and or the foods like fibre that produce them in our gut seem to be most desirable. A wider range of these fatty acids can only be a good thing in my view. I also restrict alcohol to weekends and have a meat free day every week. Hope that helps..

That’s a real achievement, I have become much better at turning my nose up at a lot of foods and my diet is generally much better, I have bought a nutribullet extractor which has worked wonders for my nutritional intake and has helped my body absorb what it needs a lot better and I feel much better for it, one thing I have found relates to my well being greatly is stress, alcohol alievates stress for me and the two combined have made me relapse and I have ended up in hospital as a result and nearly lost my colon last year, there is a lot of interesting research into the relation of stress and intestinal well being, balance is key for me, your article interested me greatly as your story is one of the first I have read that resonates with me so thank you and I will extend my research into evoo, I think for me I’ve just never been brave enough to take the plunge in terms of stopping the meds as they have saved me in the past, however I don’t want to be on them forever, I want a permanent fix not a short term solution, thanks again.

C, it is understandable to think adding more fat to a diet is risky for the heart etc but Evoo is a very good fat with anti platelet properties. It is actually good for your arteries. Take a short time to look this up and you will find so much information on heart/blood health in relation to this wonderful substance.

I was quite unwell June 2013 and had extensive tests. My dopler showed great smooth arteries, an ECG described as better than the young man’s who carried it out. Perfect blood pressure, good cholesterol and Echo cardiogram. One consultant even joked “what are you doing here”, I was discharged a very healthy man and told to keep doing whatever it was I was doing. I have to say the oil must have been part responsible for such a glowing report, I have no doubt.

Graham, you ARE a rock star, in UC circles and we salute your dedication and research! Thanks for the post and the update—I’ve been following you for a year now, so it’s good to hear more news. Question: how should we buy EVOO? Someone said it needs to be fresh, and most available at my Vermont, US, coop is in bulk and I bring my own jar, but I have no idea how old it is. Does it matter?

Again, thanks for all you do, and of course your pseudo-rock stars, Adam and Bev ;)

Graham, and all guys here, be blessed!
Thanks for your contribution to all of us!

I have a question before I start taking EVOO. You mentioned that “The very freshest, best oils are too strong” and may be harmful.
Then the question is -> with so many different EVOOs available in any store, which one(s) exactly have you taken? Can you specify so that I do not make a mistake and take something that may be harmful.

Art,
I’m afraid it’s difficult to list and appraise all the oils I’ve tried, this would also be irrelevant to anyone outside the UK. I had to travel to Tuscany before I experienced the great oil that was too strong and less effective for my flare.
I can only speak with certainty for what is available in the UK supermarket’s really. If I was buying in this environment I would avoid the most expensive and the cheapest. A mid priced Italian oil (we know works) that has a harvest date would be a safe bet. A harvest date usually indicates quality and that it has not been mixed in order to shift old oil.

Thanks, Graham!
I guess I am closer to understanding which oil to purchase.
However, I would highly appreciate if you could specify some of the EVOOs you buy in the supermarkets on the territory of the UK. I believe I can get any of these as it’s now 21st century, my friend :”) Everything’s possible.

Dede, I feel slightly embarrassed now though the words of encouragement are obviously great motivation.

I’ve been honoured to communicate and even meet with a few well renowned Evoo experts. They are on a quest for the best oil and much of what we might read out there will direct us that way. Sadly, despite my bad oil lesson, great oil is not what is required for us UC’ers (though it is good news for our pockets). Confusing you bet and this quality anomaly may also be confirmed by what I read about Jini Patel Thompson’s (Listen To Your Gut) Oregano Oil. It seems best/purest may also be a lesser choice for us.

I would love to know why and am confident it will come to light this year. My oil is being tested and this top Evoo producer is also very keen to learn about the strange contradiction. I am equally concerned with taking great oil as I am with bad.

Oil is best stored in tins and then dispensed as required which sounds like what you might be buying. The information above covers the main requirements for us with some throat irritation being the most crucial point. I will experiment soon with my various oils to try and offer a simple yet more accurate appraisal by smell as the experts do (without being an expert obviously).

Actually, this is good news for my pocketbook, Graham! Thanks for getting right back to me. I take plenty of Omega 3 pure fish oil daily… do you also? So glad that those of us on the uc-crohn’s spectrum are out there doing loads of research and you are helping your fellow uc-ers, and those who have both Crohn’s and uc, like me. Onward! :)

Hi Adam, Graham, Bev, Dede and all…
Well…a while back I tried to add it in and it consistently made me ill. Ihave always been very sensitive to foods, smells, textures etc, and I also had my gallbladder removed during my remicade years. So just pondering how being without a gallbladder truly effects the overall fat absorption/health benefits, etc…any thoughts?? It’s funny, but not the haha kind, how the doctors always say you don’t even need it! I’m sure it effects all the travels of the herbs, etc. I also can’t take many things on an empty stomach like you’re supposed to.
Well, just wondering.
Glad to have a new EVOO thread Graham!
Be well all. Best, Shelly

Yes, Shelly, it’s really quite something when doctors say that we don’t really ‘need’ something, like an organ or gland, that we were born with…why were we born with it?

It makes me think of getting my appendix out…it wasn’t long after that I got UC…not to mention the Accutane that I took four times…another known cause of UC.

I wish that I had more knowledge as to your question. It makes a lot of sense what you say about the loss of your gallbladder affecting certain things. Was it afterwards that you started getting over sensitive to the things that you mention?

Hi Bev,
It all seems so crazy. I think between the UC and no gallbladder is a double whammy on why nothing works consistently. I was talking a little to my chiro about how when he gave me a liquid tinture I put under my tongur for faster absorption for the ear/sinus infection, it seemed to help, but still not complete and took a double dose and not sure if really “cured” or not.
Anyway, I think it is all interesting and frustrating that nothing is consistent within myself much less amongst UC’ers.
Thanks for thinking about it!
Best as always, Shelly. :-)

Bev, Shelly..
Your comments were reminded to me today when I read this statement… Now they’re realizing that the appendix probably has immunological functions related to the fact that it acts as a reservoir of spare bacteria in case your gut flora gets killed off or flushed out, say, in a nasty bout of diarrhea.

Graham – Hey just curious when you started taking the EVOO how long did it take you to start noticing a change in your symptoms? I am currently following the SCD diet but am still noticing a constant cramp in the gut and still not 100% formed BM’s all the time, like you said in your first blog about EVOO, UC will always be with you but if we can find natural ways to make life manageable and in the end livable again, I am all for it! So I am going to try out the EVOO, 3 times a day : ) Worth a shot right! Can’t kill me anymore than the Humira tried to! Is there a specific brand I should look for or just any supermarker “Extra Virgin” Olive oil?

That’s the great thing about olive oil for UC, there is nothing to lose as it is also good for your health generally. Regarding your question, I had a healthy colon from smoking so the oil protected me from UC when I gave it up. Even when i smoked I used to wake with the cramp most mornings but not since taking the oil. It was and is a massive breakthrough that I never really believed would come when I began the 3 spoons a day but like you say worth a shot right! If you have already made drug free improvements I am certain this will provide a significant boost to your regime. Please let us know how you get on.

Napolina did bring the year of remission but I have reservations about this oil and would not use it now I have found something better. During the flare I tried the very best oil but also tried my old Napolina and neither were as effective during this period. The Napolina did indeed have a preventative effect and stretch remission beyond my widest dreams. However, I believe many reading this are looking for something to reverse a flare and it may not be enough. I do appreciate your post as it all contributes to this important discussion.

Graham – One thing i forgot to ask before, as I am currently taking medication and am in remission is it worth starting EVOO regardless, whats your opinion on this? may sound dumb but worth the mention as i am currently weighing up what i am to do going forward, many thanks.

I would certainly begin a 1st thing and last thing dose, it is natural and extremely healthy so not like adding a drug to another drug. I reduced to that amount when I smoked for a short period as 3 doses could have sped up my digestive transit time by too much. Cigarettes increase mucas in the bowel and also move things along quicker.

Hey Graham-
been taking evoo for about 2 weeks and I must say in all this cold and snow in New Jersey my skin has NOT been as dry as it was prior. So maybe we just sell it as a beauty treatment instead (hah). I even have my boys taking it, only they get to sop it up with nice crusty bread… lucky dudes.
Thanks!

Allison, well done you for getting the boys on it, the world famous Olive oil expert Tom Mueller gives his son 2 spoons a day. Cleopatra herself used it as a beauty treatment as many still do. Thanks for sharing!

Just an update… it’s been several weeks since stopping smoking and all is good on my 2nd oil journey. I don’t regret the 1st attempt failing so much now because I learned more about this program during the flare than beforehand. In the past (without Evoo), there would be lots of bloating and several lbs of added weight followed by very apparent UC symptoms. I’ve actually lost a couple of lbs and even less bloating than 1st time very happy.

Yes Bev, I wasn’t convinced the 1st time and then was shocked when it actually did!

Like you, I never intend on using meds again. We are in the fortunate position of having found the solution or at least enough of one so we don’t have to go back. I am also very hopeful of another natural solution that will help us I’m sure. So yes another post, mine are like buses, nothing for ages then two come along at once!

Many experts including UC’ers believe dietary intake of Omega 3 fish oils are best and that Linoleic acid/Omega 6 is the UC devil. There are many studies proving that a poor ratio of these fats causes Ulcerative Colitis but this is not quite the full story. I have lifted the following 2 sentences from a medical summary which explain this perceived wisdom in slightly more detail.

“When it is absorbed in the body, linoleic acid is transformed to arachidonic acid, which is a component of the cell membranes in the bowel. ”

“Arachidonic acid can then be converted into various inflammatory chemicals. High levels of these chemicals have been found in the bowel tissue of patients with ulcerative colitis.”

This would logically lead some to avoid EVOO at all costs as it has 3-20% Linoleic acid but something unique happens when Oleic acid is consumed, as this recent study shows…

Percentages of oleic acid and arachidonic acid are inversely related in phospholipids of human sera. Meaning Oleic acid actually decreases the (negative) effect of Linoleic acid and EVOO’s Oleic acid level is 55 to 83%. The link explains it better than I ever could so why not take a look?

An interesting piece here (if you have time) on oils within the body and its vital role. There are also explanations and suggestions for the correct oil correct ratio. They say its 4 Omega 6 to 1 Omega 3 but I have read that 2.5:1 is better for preventing cancer of the bowel.

It also gives an insight as to why these oil protocols work well to begin with and then fade (page 12). As we make these crucial oil adjustments we obviously see a health benefit but the scales can begin to tip too far the other way. This most likely suggests if you are taking Omega 3 and cutting out trans fats, an unexpected decline in your condition may require a little less EFA and not more (as we would logically believe).

It is important to never miss a dose of Evoo, so going out can be the tricky bit. Here’s what I do and please feel free to offer your suggestions.

Plastic shot glasses are a must, very cheap (from Ebay) and easy to transport. I have them stashed in my golf bag and work vehicles etc.

As with the shot glasses, I keep the oil at work and at home. A bottle of Evoo is usually 500ml so often too large to carry on your person. Oil is kept in dark bottles and out of light to maintain the oils integrity but a clean container (that doesn’t leak) will be fine for a day out.

When I go on holiday (even to Italy), I put a bottle (carefully wrapped) in my case. Having to find good oil abroad is tricky and we can’t risk a flare. You can’t take more than 100ml through customs and they can get funny about strange liquids! Once they even took a 500ml bottle that only had 50ml in, so a sub 100ml container with your days supply will be fine. Telling them it’s medicinal will also help.

I posted on your previous post some time ago, I unfortunately never kept up with the olive oil, in part because my UC began to run a bad course despite treatment with 5ASA’s from both sides, never ending blood and bloody mucous, 20 BM’s a day. Low hemoglobin from blood loss, and chronic fevers and debilitating abdominal pain, and fell from 175lbs to 135lbs.
I got an urgent sigmoidoscopy which showed severe UC, they had to stop short because it was so bad I was at high risk of perforation.
My medication was changed and increased but still no results.
Finally, mid-january, feeling as though Im out of options, I remembered your story, and how smoking reversed your flare.
Well, I quit my ineffective meds, all of them, and bought a pack of cigarettes and began 5-10 cigs a day.
Within 2 weeks the bleeding stopped and hasnt returned, the mucous increasesd oddly, but after another month the mucous cleared up entirely, at the same time my bms went down to 2-3 a day, finally in the last couple weeks I now have solid normal BMs once or twice a day, no pain, almost symptom free, but still a little urgency. What an amazing change.

I am now going to follow your footsteps, and going to begin religiously taking EVOO and see if I too can quit cigs, and maintain this state that smoking has given me, as I truly hate having to smoke to stay healthy.

I am still going to smoke for another month or so, or untill the urgency goes away, before I quit, but in the meantime I am still going to take the EVOO x3/day.
The oil I have is Filippo Berio, 100% cold pressed italian oil from a supermarket, not sure if this is any good?
Will update.

David, even though most of us know smoking works when nothing else seems to, it’s still amazing to hear!

I’m so pleased that you are finally feeling normal and your plan sounds about right. During the 3-4 month’s where I had to resort to smoking I only took the oil twice a day, not three. I agree you should smoke for one more month just to be sure you’ve healed up nicely. ‎‎Out of interest did you ever smoke before?‎ If you are worried about willpower then I can recommend Alan Carr’s Easy Way to Stop Smoking.
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Not sure about Filippo Berio oil though, I tried their Gusto Frutatto and was very disappointed. I also noticed there was no harvest date, this is almost always a sign of bad oil.‎ Though Oleic acid is very beneficial here, the Oleocanthal throat burn is still crucial and should not be under estimated. I’m not sure where you live but if you are in the UK then Marks & Spencers Italian “Fruity with peppery finish” is superb for quality and value.
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By the way, I am on my second Evoo journey and almost 3 months clear of both cigarettes and meds thus far.‎ It’s a great feeling to be healthy and free of cigarettes!

David, would you mind if I mentioned your progress on Twitter (@realslimshakey)?

Yes, Graham, thank you for asking. I am doing great now that the flu immunization is out of my system, if that was what indeed caused that last flare. Who knows any more. I know we are all tentatively walking on the proverbial eggshells. I just enjoy the heck out of remission periods, that is for certain!

I always keep your olive oil protocol close to my heart should I ever need and/or decide to try it. I often say that UC has a way of getting around every treatment, rearing it’s ugly little head whenever it sees fit to do so. If my probiotic L-glutamine regiment ever fails me, I will try the wonderful olive oil!

Thanks for keeping us updated on your progress etc – good to hear you’re doing well.

I’ve got a bit of a question for you – sounds a bit silly but hey ho here we go.

I’ve tried numerous things over the years to try and settle the UC down but the bottom line is none of it has really worked despite me having a good diet etc. The only thing that has really helped is L-Glutamine.

So having read your comments and others on Adam’s website about how smoking has worked (I remember reading something about this when I was diagnosed 6 years ago) I am seriously thinking of trying some smoking to see how all goes. Having never been a smoker and at one time a serious cyclist this is a little alien to me! The only thing I’m thinking is I know of Italian footballers who smoke so in moderation for a relatively short time it can’t hurt more than colitis – that’s my thinking anyway!

So on to the question. As I’ve mentioned I’ve never smoked apart from trying it out in my youth on nights out… and so am unsure given I don’t know much about cigarettes what ones to buy. Any suggestion as to what brand etc you’ve smoke? I appreciate this is a bit of a tricky question with the health warnings of smoking etc but I thought it worthwhile asking. I’m in Cardiff so what you have access to no doubt I will too.

If anyone else wants to chip in with their ideas all opinions are appreciated.

Thanks Andrew,
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Really interesting question and the smoking thing is very close to my heart or lungs even….

Due to the well known health risks of smoking, perhaps no person should tell or pressure someone to do so, it’s a personal choice. However, due to the unique situation ‎in which we find ourselves, it is hugely important that we discuss this as openly as possible and without prejudice.

This is how I see it.. Regular and long term inflammation of the colon already carries a serious cancer risk. Though it’s not for everyone, we can always choose surgery. I don’t wish to offend those who have but the timing of these decisions often couldn’t be worse, an aggressive flare is effectively holding a gun to your head.
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We also have to consider ‎the position of doctors and try to read between the lines in order to assess their real views on this. With evermore litigious societies, doctors are (in my view) increasingly withholding the treatment they instinctively know is best for patients in favour of the “cover my ass”option. Quite understandable but kicking the can down the road helps no one and we must take this in to account. We want the treatment that is best for us, the doctor’s well being should not come in to it, ever.

There are anecdotal reports of doctors endorsing a patient’s decision to smoke. Following a bad reaction to an IBD drug I told my GP that I would smoke my self well with a good UC diet and then quit for Evoo. ” I can’t disagree with a single thing you are doing” she said. Will you ever hear a doctor publicly endorsing smoking or writing such a view, we will have the magic bullet before then?

Weighing things up, are we really increasing the damage to ourselves by smoking temporarily in order to reset the colon and start fresh with a plan for long term remission? As long as there is a plan, in my case a good Evoo. In light of overwhelming evidence I have since added a better diet and take better care of my health generally. Even if you are quite young, having a serious disease so early on really focuses the mind on your life expectancy.
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I have heard of a few people where smoking does not help, do these people have Crohns too, perhaps someone has statistics for this? I have a figure in mind of 90% but I think this is a very old statistic about how many UC’ers are ex smokers.

If you are going to smoke, rolling your own is healthier. There are less harmful chemicals this way, some life insurance companies even consider rolling tobacco smokers more favourably.

I used to smoke 5 – 10 per day, Amber Leaf with liquorice papers to provide a smoother taste.

From a fitness point of view, I used to smoke yet still covered more distance in 5 a side football than my friends. You can be fit and smoke just maybe not as fit as if you didn’t, obvious really..

I don’t want to sell this too strongly but if you’ve suffered for long enough and tried everything then this is a very worthwhile experiment. This route has changed my entire outlook on life, the metaphorical clouds blew away after 6 months of remission.

Yesterday I did some reading on fillipo berio oil, turns out that like you said, its probably not the best choice, their oil is just a mass produced “bottom of the barrel” stuff. Further, critical reviews say it consists of oil that may be years old thats mixed with fresh stuff to mask the rancidity, and that it’s not italian oil but inferior imported oil thats only bottled in italy, so that the bottle can say “produced in italy”.
I went shopping yeaterday and after much searching the best I could find was a organic Oil with a stamped chemical analysis listing Acidity, K270/K232, peroxide, a best before date in 2016, and grove of origin(Kolymvari, Crete, Greece). And if price is any indication of quality, this oil is 2.5X the price of the same amount of Filippo Berio.
Good olive oil is hard to come by in Canada, as Olive oil is more of a novelty item here, Canola Oil is the oil of choice.

I did some searching online and found a canadian retailer of premium Italian olive oils, with analysis, groves of origin, press dates, and advertised as being pressed within 4 hours of harvest. So I will look there for my next botttle.

Yes, i smoked for a few years prior to UC, and my first UC symptoms presented about 3 weeks after quitting cold turkey.
I’ve quit cold turkey before and I am absolutely confident I can do it again when the time comes, I dont like smoking, and dont want to add another health ailment, but Ive been only smoking 6-7 a day, so I dont think Im taking a big risk. But the alternative of taking immunosuppresents has its own list of risks.

I Read your previous links and the study with much interest, I also found other very recent studies with mice and EVOO which had some very promising results. Hopefully more research is done into this.

Another thing thats interesting to note is UC prevalence by country, what I found is Canada has some of the highest rates of UC in the world, at 456 cases per 100,000.
Spain and Italy, probably the largest consumers of EVOO, have some of the lowest rates in the world, at 1 and 1.5 per 100,000. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3004417/ (towards the bottom of the article)

I will dose my oil at 1 Tablespoon(15ml) twice a day until I feel Im ready to quit smoking, at which time I’ll increase to 3 doses, and see how that goes.

Your assessment of that oil is spot on, sadly much of the mass produced stuff is a con. Sounds like you have found a good one though and also a plan going forward. If you ever get obsessed (like me) then read Extra Virginity by Tom Mueller. I’m not sure if you are near a big city but I’ve also heard of quite a few Oil bars in Canada. This could be another option where you can re stock once you are up and running on the good stuff!

That was a very interesting link about UC rates per 100,000 and I’ve not seen that one before. For some time now my favourite theory is that us UC’ers have digestive genes from Southern Europe and or the more ancient civilisations that don’t travel as well as our ancestors have. Is our digestive DNA reminding some of us we are all immigrants, this is also one of the reasons I now embrace the Mediterranean Diet?

Thanks as always for your kind words Bev and it’s good to get an update from you.

Your comments remind me that perhaps I need a mantra of my own to address this often missed point. Evoo is most effective for preventing a flare rather than at reversing one. Think of it as flare insurance.

Even 2 spoons a day will be good for your UC and health generally. We need to preserve you Bev, to make sure you are here for the little UC’ers that haven’t even been born yet!

Just thought I would confirm that I’ve cleared the month number 4 hurdle without a hitch..

This is the 2nd time I’ve made the journey from cigarettes to no meds and it still feels like a dream at times. Even with all that we’ve uncovered to prove it’s benefits, tackling such a serious disease with something so simple is a miracle.

I am still on the Ultimate Flora and doing fab on it…of course there is the L-glutamine as well, along with the vitamin D, the astaxanthin, and perhaps even the LDN… but one is never really sure just what is doing the trick when one takes ‘things’ plural.

At least you KNOW it’s the EVOO!! Perhaps it is the combination of ‘things’ for me. Who can say, really?

Im still doing the olive oil, 1 table spoon every morning and night.
Im so glad to say that I have zero symptoms, I go once a day with no urgency. Everythings 100%Normal.
Still havent taken any meds since I stopped them in january at the worst point of that terrible flare that lasted almost 2 years and started smoking instead.
I am still smoking though.. only 2-3 day now and Im good at self control with it. Its just that after finding something that works, its a scary thing to stop it.
Taking 2000mg of timed release vitamin C because smokers are deficient, eating healthy, and strenuous running to offset smoking damage, which hopefully 2-3 wont cause anyway. But hearing that you have made it 4 months gives me courage to at least try olive oil alone.

What changes have you made this time around that you feel are making a difference?

I also have cut out all sources of Omega-6’s, which I think is a good long term strategy to make the body less inflammatory.

You are doing great and I’m sure would be just fine dropping the last couple of daily cigarettes for a midday dose of EVOO, your call.

Although I had success for well over a year on just the oil and non extra virgin caused my flare I have now adopted many of the other things we UC’ers must do.‎

Some recent news I had suggests this was a great decision and something for those who ignore diet as well as lifestyle improvements should take note of.

I’ve been diagnosed with inflammation of the spinal cord (transverse myelitis/neck) which probably caused my stroke like episode and some other related issues. Notice the word inflammation, it is apparently common for a person with one autoimmune disease to be diagnosed with another, who knew? It could be from an old whiplash injury but I’m not taking any chances.

From what they saw it could lead to MS but fortunately I already have an anti inflammation diet, good sleep, try to reduce stress (where possible) and they also put me on a Vitamin D supplement.

Sensible exercise is also important and though nicotine helps with inflammation smoking accelerates MS so “phew” that I’ve hardly done that for the last few years.

These things build up over years and what we can do won’t change it overnight but are surely the 1st and best place to start?

Rightly or wrongly I have adopted these items to my almost daily diet.

Thanks Graham for sharing. It’s pretty darn impressive to see the stats the article presents in terms of the progress regarding childbirth/deaths. Super amazing when you sit back and think about it and how far we’ve come.
Just got to make you think that there’s a crapload of potential for people like us living with UC.

I thought it summed things up pretty well. Not sure when we will see enough research on immunity, only more drugs countering the effects of it’s related illnesses. That’s enough cynicism, apparently it leads to dementia!

On a related note.. I recently had a splinter removed from a slightly inflamed/infected finger and was told to take an antibiotic, NO!!! I explained that I had autoimmune issues and had spent the last 18 months cultivating a more diverse intestinal garden full of good guys. I said no thank you but will take them with me just in case, I felt like he was offering to hit me round the head with a shovel! I’m not sure if this should be to his credit or not but he then strongly advised me to take them along with a supermarket Probiotic drink, not even an Ultimate Flora Critical Care 50 Billion Bev!

Anyway no surprises, my finger healed by itself after 2 weeks and no unwanted friendly fire from antibiotics or my immune system….

Like Shelly said…no biggie, Graham. You now know what can be and what is achievable. I too bleed from time to time, even still, and it is often just as simple as my eating wheat that day, or something else that I didn’t even know bothers my colon!

I know how our hearts just drop when we see the red stuff. All will be okay…you`ll see that again.

We all go through this. Again, like Shelly says, we are never really ‘cured’…the UC is always there. I look forward to the day when we can REALLY kiss it goodbye!

Graham,
Not an end just a speed bump! Now that you’ve settled in from pressing the panic button…go back to basics and focus forward. Since you are catching it early you should be able to tackle it faster and alleviate the symptoms. I have had a few bouts of bleeding along with the iritis and a continuing 2+ week of sinus infections, insurmountable stress and i just buckle down and try and focus forward. It seems no matter what, that Grimm Reaper UC will always be chasing us down and that everyone seems to bleed now and again.
So hang in there, pull up your evoo straps and get refocused forward and go, fight, win!
P.s. sorry about the World Cup….go USA( truly surprising! :-) )
Best, Shelly

Sorry to hear about seeing blood, hopefully you manage to get that under control. Stress has a powerful effect on the body.

Thanks for the recent link, great info, now I have even more reasons to take EVOO.

I’m still taking EVOO, three times a day, everyday, though sometimes I slip up and only do 2. As of about 1 month, I haven’t smoked, no symptoms, no change whatsoever, just 1 normal BM daily.
Feels good to be normal like this with no medication.

Caustiously optimistic, if I notice anything suspicious, I won’t hesitate to light up again until it goes away.

I’ve also drastically changed my diet in the last few months, everything natural, lots of soluable fiber foods for beneficial bacteria and eat mostly fish for meat, especially wild Salmon, for Omega3, all the time. I treat high omega 6 foods like poison. Also I take a supplement called CLA, technically its a Omega 6 but its anti inflammatory, its found in grass fed meat and butter.
Lipids play a big part in either promoting or decreasing inflammation.

That all sounds pretty exciting, a long period without drugs/nicotine gives an amazing buzz. I remember likening it to all the permanent (UC) clouds disappearing and tasting true freedom at last!

I can’t say these diet changes have prolonged remission for me but we cannot ignore the evidence and it must help the overall condition of our bodies. I had acne for over 20 years and now only get the occasional spot. My gum disease is also slowly improving, maybe our colon’s are the last to benefit?

There is still occasional blood but I expect it to dissappear by the end of the week, though I was a fool to drink alcohol Friday, Saturday and Sunday!

Another diet modification I’ve made is to add some healty fat to my meals. There are many nutrients that we apparently can’t absorb without it. Usually a small amount of evoo, grass fed butter, nuts etc..

Thanks for another good contribution and I sincerely hope you beat my record!

I asked a Cypriot restaurant owner‎ where I could find good oil and she immediately said “well you don’t buy it from the supermarket”. However, I did and she was correct, 3 carefully selected oils were ok but slightly greasy tasting and lacking the obvious throat burn. I returned with a litre of the oil she used in their food, it was fresh tasting and not too strong so ideal for cooking for the uninitiated (my family).

Dr Bashirullah mentioned this on my 1st post‎ “EVOO should be our primary source of fat”. Breaking news…It already is for me! Just as it is for many in the Mediterranean and as it was for many of our ancestors. I’m refering to way back farther than any of us can imagine our most distant family tree. There are lots of things going on with EVOO, balancing fats, anti inflammatory, antioxidants, greater vitamin absorption. The fact that (in a very short space of time) we have gone from natural oils or fatty acids’s to mostly hydrogenated vegetable fat should alarm us. Im going a bit Paleo here but lets face it, a capsule of fish oil alone aint gonna “cut the mustard”. It is also worth mentioning that with many of us cutting refined carbs and sugar, fat becomes crucially important to provide energy to our body. There are many reports that the intake of good fats should be increased in this situation.

I’ve been reading about the Vagus nerve again recently (see link below) and ‎it is involved with controlling inflammation and the immune system. Some studies have proved Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) has helped Arthritis as well as other illnesses, though this method is in its infancy. Gary Beauchamp discovered Oleocanthal in 2000 when he experienced the same throat irritation from good EVOO as with liquid Ibuprofen. The pharyngeal branch of the vagus nerve is stimulated (the throat burn) by Oleocanthal and could be the main receptor for the oils benefits. This sensation can be increased by “Stripaggio” for anyone wishing to give it a go. It certainly heightens the burn sensation, you place a big spoon of oil in your mouth, roll the tip of your tongue up behind your top teeth and suck in air through your mouth for a few breaths, cough, cough! I cant say if this helps or not because I am not flaring at present but why give it a try?

Hii bev
I m prince Choudhary from India
I have uc from past three years.when I saw your story then I used two capsules of vsl-3 and they effected me very good .i m using this from one year and I had not uc but now I have some bleed in toilet from 10 days what should I do now.
From one year I wasvery happy and any things I want to eat also drink sometimes nothing wrong with me .no bleed in my toilet sometimes losse BM .

Please tell me should I take something other .
I m waiting ur answer .i m using only two capsules one in morning and oher in eve no oher medication.

I have just read all your posts for the last year and a half. My story: I was diagnosed with UC ten years ago. Have never been in remission. I have only been on prednisone for all ten years (as low dose as I could manage) and colozal. I have had diarrhea all these years. Until four months ago. I stopped prednisone and the colozal and took the lialda. This drug caused worse diarrhea. So, stopped everything. Had a Colonoscopy, Doctor found many non cancerous polyps. Hopefully removed all of them. Going to find a new Doctor who cares??? Anyway, I started the SCD three months ago. Immediately started to feel better. Then two months ago started taking L glutamine powder, Curated superior absorb too curcumin, slippery elm (not doing much so stopped taking) and occasional marshmallow root for bleeding. Within in two days of taking the Lglutamine I had my first really formed stools in TEN years. I too am a former smoker. I quit three times. From my memory I equate each big flare with quitting and now I know How I got better, I started smoking again……Now my story of quitting smoking this last time Ten years ago, hence this long flare of ten years). I quit because I had two sisters who smoked and got lung cancer and both died within three months of each other. One was 44 the other 50. So, I want to go into remission without drugs which I don’t think work long term. So, I am still bleeding but was still bleeding when I was on the drugs too. I am thinking about smoking again for awhile to get me into a remission and stopping the bleeding. I gave taken the VSL3 too. Which help for a few days then I go into a flare and sop taking tgem and feel bettrr. Maybe they are too strong for me. The homemade yogurt makes me bleed for some reason. I’m rambling here. Sorry! I have never posted my story, so have a lot of pent up info in my brain. I want to make a comment about plaque. When I am flaring, I have noticed that I have a lot of it around my teeth, which I keep clean, but have a harder time keeping it off when I am flaring. Anyway, am continuing with the diet and curcumin and LGLUTAMINE. Maybe thinking about smoking and the EVOO. God’s Blessings and thanks for all the good info!!

So sorry to hear about your sisters and no doubt resuming smoking for you would be a huge decision. Unfortunately it seems the only way to heal properly for some of us. I have to every 6 months or so, it always carries some guilt and reluctance.

I have just started again but this time I am sticking to 5 per day and using an e cigarette in between instead of increasing the number due to addiction.

Once healed the oil will have its preventative effect and produce a reasonable period of remission (EVOO record 14 months).

Interesting comments about plaque. Its the same for me, the gum inflammation increases during a flare and must be related to the bad bacteria or lack of the good we suffer. I have always felt these were connected as my oral problems were apparent around the time of my diagnosis. Unfortunately working hard on dental care hasn’t really produced the desired results. It is definitely better on a low carb/sugar diet in my opinion. When you look into improving breath etc in detail there are certain foods which are also reportedly bad for UC, eg high sulphur foods.

This makes so much sense. I am and have always been convinced that UC is caused by the loss of good bacteria, in whatever way…viruses, food poisoning, medications, over use of antibiotics.

That is why I question the pharmaceutical treatments…they seem to only exacerbate the condition and not really do anything to rectify it. Good bacteria MUST be replenished, over and over, and probably forever. It sure has worked for me. Med free for 5…6 years? I have lost count. No hint of the UC any more at all. Ever. No blood…no pain…

Perhaps, like I stated above, good bacteria must constantly be pumped into us because of the UC that we have somehow managed to contract. It may be a forever treatment…one that we have to do forever, I mean.

Cheers Graham, and thank you for the wonderful information. You are always looking out for our ‘family’!! Love you for that:) A great man you are.

I have just had an email from Gemma at Villa Campestri with test results of my Marks & Spencer Italian EVOO “fruity with a peppery finish”.

As expected the oil is considered very good and especially at £4 for 500ml! Free fatty acids 0.36% (EVOO limit 0.8) indicate the oil was carefully harvested and processed using good quality fruit.. More importantly, it is very high in Oleic acid (75.23% )and therefore (in EVOO terms) very low in Linoleic acid. We know Linoleic acid is bad for us and don’t forget a previous post here where dietary Oleic acid had an inverse relationship with arachidonic acid.

Experts say that in general, cooler, high altitude environments will produce higher oleic acid levels than hot, low altitude environments. This would also explain how I have found oils from hotter countries/regions (Spain/Cyprus) to have less of a benefit for my symptoms. I realise this does not make it easy selecting oils but a grower on the cooler edge of an EVOO region should be producing the high oleic acid oils.

We can also realise this when a fruity/peppery taste from generally greener oils are apparent. Though sadly we will have to kiss a few frogs before we find the right one!

More encouraging research published regarding EVOO and the mouse model of Colitis. Hydroxytyrosyl is responsible for the oils bitterness. It is found abundantly in greener early harvest EVOO’s but not black olives or oil made from them. Like we didn’t know…

6 months med free on Evoo and E Cigarettes has been pretty successful, however, a change in BM’s with slight blood is now apparent. The positive I have this time is that I may (for the 1st time) reverse this without resorting to smoking. I always had to heal myself with cigarettes because flares only ever went one way. I have already had a few completely normal days either side of the not so great. Wish me luck!

Not only will I wish you luck (which, btw, I believe you don’t really need), I will also give you these words of total encouragement. You are quite correct in that ‘this time’ your slight bleeding need not turn into anything big! You are on the right path now. This happens to me from time to time, and it NEVER turns into a flare any more! Ever since stopping the meds and being diligent in what works for me, I have had not one major setback! Oh what a feeling.

I also think that my attitude of no longer completely freaking out at the first sight of a bit of red might be a bit of a factor. I sure used to, but I can tell that you don’t do that any more either. We have reached a place where we KNOW that we can get back to that remission that we have found ourselves! It’s a great feeling to trust in ourselves, isn’t it?

I am not worried for you…in no time at all, you will be on this site letting us all know that all is well AGAIN. You have the knowledge and the wherewithal, Graham. No worries my friend!

You make a great point and again this is probably the 1st time I haven’t really freaked out at the first sight of red. Though impossible in the early days, I agree its massively important not to compound the situation in this way. Related to this was a downturn in what were improving symptoms caused by a hugely stressful few hours at work.

It isn’t cheap but could be interesting for us with IBD. Its 75 dollars as a donation and the kit is sent with a questionnaire, then you also have to pay for fast efficient postage. You can do this from Canada through the American website.

Buying Evoo in the US and need some help on selecting the real stuff? Here are some findings from some fairly recent UC Davis testing.

The brands that failed to meet the extra virgin olive oil standards, according to this study: Bertolli, Carapelli, Colavita, Star, Pompeian. Eat Grown Local also reports: Filippo Berio, Mazzola, Mezzetta, Newman’s Own, Safeway, and Whole Foods in this list; the data may be from the earlier 2010 study when more brands were evaluated.

The hydroxytyrosol supplement has finally arrived. The studies above suggest it will boost the benefits of the EVOO regimem, however, the daily amount may not be sufficient to even notice the difference, we shall see. I have been smoking a small amount in order to control the flare and blood has remained intermittent. I have resisted full time smoking so that I can assess the benefits or otherwise. If I manage to stop any bleeding without full time smoking then this will be a first and another significant breakthrough, I am cautiously optimistic. I have included the link for this product which has some related research as well as some obviously biased sales speak.

Hi Graham, I haven’t checked in on this thread since last time I posted. It’s taken me a few days to thoroughly read all the links you have posted. Great stuff.

I’ve been in remission now for 19 months, still with no medication. Except for few small occasional blips that got no worse then soreness in my lower left side, which I took no chances and precribed myself a couple packs of smokes, which quickly corrected the issues.
Other than that I’ve been living a UC and cigarette free life, which is a stark contrast to the nightmare I was in before I stumbled into your threads.

I’ll keep this as short as I can, but I wanted to share something that I have added to my arsenal that I suspect is helping me even further.

One of the ways it is thought that cigarettes help, which I’m sure your already aware, is by the hydrogen cyanide reacting to the hydrogen sulphide in the gut, which is a nasty gas produced more in people with UC that contributes to the pathogenesis of UC, a vicious cycle.
I also wonder if it is by this same method that people smoking medicinal marijuana also report remission? Being that marijuana smoke contains even more hydrogen cyanide than tobacco smoke.

This led me to wonder about other ways to get hydrogen cyanide into my body (sounds terrible, I know) which led me to cyanogenic plants, turns out there are thousands of these plants, including many food plants.

Cassava stood out as the best and easiest.
Otherwise known as yuca, tapioca, and manioc, this root is the main carbohydrate source to 600 million people, mostly in developing countries. It contains certain compounds that are converted to hydrogen cyanide IN THE GUT, right where we want it!

Cooking removes just enough of the cyanogenic compounds to make the root safe to eat, which is why it shouldnt be eaten raw, as cyanide toxicity could occur.

Also tapioco starch/flour contains trace amounts of these compounds, less so, but I have found threads on other forums with people claiming remission with tapioca starch, but they never knew why..

I eat about 1 very well boiled root(must be peeled and diced) daily; along with a glass or 2 of water mixed with a tablespoon of tapioca flour. Since I started this I have not had anymore little blips that required me to smoke temporarily.

Anyways, just figured Id share this as a possible alternative for people who get better with cigarettes.

Great to hear from you and I’m so very pleased to hear how well you are doing.

Just so we are clear, is your progress mainly due to EVOO? We have established the benefits of it but there need to be more “amen’s to EVOO” to encourage an even greater awareness and understanding of it.

I am currently in a smoking cycle after a nice 6 month break, so your latest report is very exciting to read. I did have some benefit from e cigarettes but not that significant.

I will certainly look into this and hope to try it when I stop again in the not too distant future. Were these cyanegenic plants easy to source?

I have been using Acropolis Organics extra virgin olive oil, seems like a good brand and they have a website acropolisorganics.com, which even mentions ulcerative colitis under their health section.
I live in Canada and buy this in Superstore in the Organics section.

I have been taking 2 table spoons a day, morning and night, and also use it in food for flavour whenever I can, find it goes good overtop mashed sweet potato or cassava.

But other than a few missed doses and an occasional missed day Ive been using it every day and about in the last year or so have amassed a collection of 15 empty 1l bottles.

Don’t know If I mentioned but about 20 months ago I had also got a stomach ulcer from H. Pylori, and had been suffering from acid reflux for months along with UC. I had on 3 occasions vomited up blood which was very alarming. After beginning EVOO this got better and went away.

I read later that EVOO can treat H. Pylori and acid reflux. So its double reason for me to keep taking it.

Most large grocery departments should carry cassava, its sold at our superstore and also sold as yuca at wal-mart, its becoming quite popular with followers of the “paleo” diet.

But as for the EVOO, for whoever reads this I highly recommend everyone to take it, give it a 6-8 week trial at least, it can’t do anything but good for general health and the evidence for UC is there, all one has to do read links provided in this thread to see it. At the very least use it as a supplemental treatment to whatever you use currently, treating UC through a multi-faceted approach is a good way to go about it.

Thanks for your contributions David. Did the oil initially cause an irritation of your acid reflux symptoms? 2 people have reported this and stopped immediately so I’m wondering if you got through it so to speak?

We appreciate the brand endorsement, good news for anyone in Canada who now knows what EVOO to buy.

Some potentially important information about colonoscopies and anyone taking oil supplements of any kind. I’ve had 2 poor bowel preps since religiously taking oil. There was no warning in the information from the hospital but a fellow UCer in the USA said fish oils were prohibited beforehand. I can’t imagine not taking oil and we don’t know for certain it interferes with the prep but there is nothing worse than a failed colonoscopy and having to do it all again.

Finally, I tried taking hydroxytyrosol supplement and there was no noticeable improvement. It could have been fake as my source could probably been better.

As for the acid reflux, I suppose everyone is different. In my case, I only had reflux in the hours after eating, and I only took the oil on an empty stomach plus I would rinse it down with a very small amount of water to avoid the burn. Didn’t have a problem that way. There’s evidence that reflux/gerd is caused by bacterial overgrowth and EVOO has been shown to have some bactericidal effects in the stomach, including against H. Pylori.

Hope everyone is doing well. Just thought I would mention that my remissions seem to consistently last around 6 months these days. This means a short smoke for bowel repairs but at least I spend only 20% of the year poisoning myself. Interestingly two flares came to an end in late June 2014 and 2015. A stressful time of year but also toward the end of hayfever season. Histamine is rarely mentioned here but I believe it is IBD related.

I have just stopped smoking again so here we go again, hoping for longer remission since finding out I’m lactose intolerant and now avoiding along with most dairy.

Good to haer from you! I am sorry to hear that you keep having these approximate 6 month flares.

Is there any thing at all besides the hayfever season that you can perhaps correlate with the onset of a flare? Do you perchance receive any flu vaccine?

It seems that I used to flare every late fall and I did not know why, I thought it was the change in seasons. Every year, i took the influenza vaccine at that time. I did not tie the two together. I thought that I was doing what I was supposed to do for my own and the community’s good health. Well, a few years back, I decided not to have the vaccine. No flare that year, or ever since.

I am thinking that UC flares are about prevention. Of course, what causes a flare in me, may not cause a flare in you, so it’s never easy pinning down what is actually aggravating the UC. I never take advil or other ibuprofens, I never drink alcohol…and I never take vaccines any more. I believe in vaccines, just not for me. For some reason, my body reacts badly to them.

Good to hear from you! I was offered a flu jab but declined, I have an overactive immune system and not on immunosuppressants so could only scratch my head with that offer. It could well be the seasons as my longest remission ended late October. I did test very badly for hayfever pollens years ago and had jabs for that, it must be immune system related? Still refusing to quit alcohol, It calms me down once a week and good for the reset button. Well done you though!

That’s what makes it so darned difficult to say it is this, or it is that…it’s all so bloody frustrating.

I wish I had the answer! I want the answer!!

I just finished watching a nine part series on cancer, The basic message was that we should not be taking the medical treatments offered if we get it! The chemo and the radiation…it supposedly is such poison that we should not be putting it into our bodies at all and it just will kill you eventually, even if you attain remission at first. Scary stuff. Doctors have to go by the book. It’s all about prevention in the first place, sugar is a big enemy, and then if one does cancer, you are supposed to treat it naturally with good food and natural vitamins, etc. It was all common sense, really. The oncology meds are absolute poison! But, what choice do we have??

It reminds me of us, with the UC. The medications only seem to harm us. I have been UC free for years now with what works for me.

It does sound like you have a histamine problem, and our immune systems also play a part in UC.

I am at long last about to see a dietician so will ask about the histamine. I am reluctant to just avoid these foods right now as there is so much off the plate I may just dissapear altogether!

Interesting with the cancer as you say. I believe some immune system retraining/tinkering is about to be the next big thing for cancer treatment and I’m sure we have all heard the miracle stories of people changing diets with great results.

Like you said, I want the answers. Though some considerable time has passed by, we will get there. I have a colonoscopy next Sunday and I doubt I should need any but will no doubt decline any medications offered.

It has crossed my mind how I would react to cancer and I still feel this would be the point when I say, ok.

I too wonder about a cancer diagnosis if it ever happens. Knowing myself, the way that I feel about medications, well, I would likely be a nightmare patient. I can not put those poisons in my body. I just could not and I know it. The dentist is also at his wit’s end with me as I never agree to x-rays.

Yeah, I recently had an amalgam filled wisdom tooth out as it wasnt biting and so get it out! Dentist took some pursuading and then said if I knew it was going to be that difficult I would have talked you out of it. What are we like!

Hi all…well my 2¢….as I am flaring early this year since the student illness in my proverbial school pertri dish came early! It also sent off another case of iritis…which normally this time of year I can fight off. It seems I am sick every winter and springtime issues bring the iritis on so,Graham, I definitely agree on that. I know there has been limited documentation on this as Dr.’s don’t know what the heck is what,how or why. So really, anything that sends our bodies into combat seems to often be a catalyst from my experience…and the best you can do is try and stay healthy as possible soerhaps your flare will be shorter and/or less severe, fingers crossed. My Dr. Has been out of the magic potion(the intestinal restore) so my fight is taking longer. You know diet definitely effects and it’s been a few years since I gave up lactose/milk products and gone SCD…Huge difference Graham…and I did it slowly at first. I don’t miss those things much at all..my brain does once in a while, but then it reminds me of cost/benefit factor!!
That might’ve been a nickel’s worth!
Best of health all, Shelly

Hi Shelly, always good to receive your contributions and I very much respect your knowledge and experience.

I’m sorry to hear about your seasonal battle and I hope you are restocked asap.

It’s certainly seems as though our immune systems are not built for strain (made in Thaiwan perhaps). The upside to my CNS damage Is that I now have a reliable early warning system that cannot be ignored, even though I spent all my previous years marching on regardless.

I’m avoiding lactose and pretty much off dairy with a noticeable improvement. Not often I can say that. Less wind, discomfort and smoother motions though the GI did say this intolerance does not cause bleeding. There is at least another intolerance so I hope to find that very soon. I’m hopeful for longer than the 6 months this time,

Graham…thanks for al your valuable info and insights. I think all our pieces together become more meaningful and useful for fighting. I know your other issues have brought more challenges, but like you said another early warning sign! Gifts and curses! ;) We wage on!
I also think that people and Dr.’s don’t understand that being intolerant to something( vs. Allergic) can have very similar effects on our bodies since we get out of whack so easily and easily. Dr.’s seem to brush this off long with diet and homeopathic remedies. So it is often up to us!
Best, Shelly

Funny you should mention out of whack Shelly. I was just reading how changing the clocks was bad for our health and in particular seasonal affective disorder (which is strongly linked to our immune system). Probably a coincidence but the world IBD map looks remarkably similar to the countries that change their clocks and those that do not. Probably nothing in it but spooky!

Hi again :-) Thanks a lot for all the info, Graham! One question: My morning routine is getting up, having a big glass of water (helps the digestion, at least for me), doing yoga and then, about half an hour after drinking the water, I’ll have breakfast. I kind of hate to let go of the water-yoga routine, as it does wonders for me, but where in that routine would you recommend taking the olive oil? Thanks a lot. Cheers from Marianne

I have always found it to be much more effective before food so I wouldn’t think before or after non food routines is important. Not just me either, Jini Patel Thompson (listen to your gut) also recommends her Oregano oil the same way.

This may be more effective and explained by my recent discovery. It appears as though I have had hidden blood sucking parasites for all these years (more explanations and detail to follow). These oils have anti parasite benefits, one of which is to clear toxins secreted by these pests. If the oil is mixed with food less of it will contact with the intestinal walls where it is needed. There are anti inflammatory benefits as we know but the parasite connection may well be the best explanation yet for why this works (for some).

Smoking also effectively controls parasite numbers so if anyone else has benefited from smoking and EVOO you should seriously consider a parasite cleanse. They also love sugar which could explain a great deal. It is odd that they reside in the small intestine and probably caused or worsened my UC. Endoscopies and colonoscopies cannot reach this area and stool tests are often negative.

Parasites cause dysbiosis and alter the immune system for better as well as worse.

The bloodsucking ones can cause pernicious enemia as you lose way more blood than you think you are. B12 deficiency is also hard to detect and can cause very serious damage. Neuropathy or neurological symptoms even Transverse Myelitis as I was diagnosed with following a 6 month bleed. Possibly added to by 5 asa which can restrict the absorption of folic acid so crucial for blood formation.

Annoying that none of this was picked up, even when it should have been obvious really.

Thanks again. I did notice your update about parasites, and I am looking into it – like you, smoking helps me, so the parasite connection is very interesting indeed. I’ll do my yoga water routine, then take he evoo and after that have breakfast. Cheers :-) Mariane

Hello!
First of all thank you Adam for this website and thank you graham for all this research on EVOO. I gotta try it!

How are you doing?

I unfortunately ended up on remicade (only a couple months ago) after an horrible flare which made me feel close to death. I am also oj prednisone and tappering down I also had C-difficile. And I quit smoking a few months prior to it but I don’t want to go back to smoking.

I am now recovering very slowly. Remicade and prednisone might have worked since they saved me from colectomy. I have semi formed stools and go 1-2 a day now and no much pain. But I know my colon is inflamed because of the size of BM and the blood.

I am on a strict diet now. And take lots of supplements. I even moved back to Europe from Canada and I live in Spain now close to my family. I lost so much weight it was insane.

I have to see if I find the fruity brand where I live, but are Spanish oils EVOO as well?

Muchas gracias! And healing vibes to all of us. We are having a tough journey!!

I am well thanks, things have really changed since the hookworm treatment but still too early to tell what effect it had on my UC.

You describe a familiar and tough journey that we all recognise and I’m glad things are improving for you.

My most effective cycle was to heal by smoking (no blood for at least a month) and then rely on the oil alone. I used EVOO while smoking as I couldn’t stop taking something that worked so well.

All I am saying is the oil is better at maintaining remission than it is at reversing a flare. It has and does do both in some but it is a mistake in my view to stop using it if it fails to reverse the flare.

I tried 2 very good quality Spanish oils, however, they were not as good as the Italian ones for UC. Having said that, good quality oil will always be better than a poor or fake Italian of which there are still many.

You are on the right track if you find a fruity one and it should appear green and not gold/green in appearance.

I’ve found this thread most useful, and have been utilising many of the suggestions on it.

Having had my latest flare, waiting on the NHS but with no joy, I sought out prednisolone by other means, to contain the flare, whilst using these natural suggestions to support the colon.

I’d like to know if anyone has an alternate treatment for managing ulcerative colitis, a safe steriod treatment, or non-steriod anti-inflammatory. In the past, I have been on azathioprine and pentasa, and am fed up of treatments that either don’t hold the condition in remission or else are unsafe for long-term use.

I am very grateful to you all for your input on these threads, and I would also like to add my own – apple cider vinegar (with the “mother” – the probiotic element), kelp, spirulina, prawns and salmon, bone broths, slippery elm, barley grass, moringa olifera, brassicas/cabbage and extra virgin olive oil, in harmony with your suggestions.

Welcome, you have come to the right place though it seems you are well underway with helping yourself. The NHS is painfully slow and god knows how people manage between such distant appointments. I myself am contemplating a private pillcam but it is £1800. It is the obvious step currently and still cheaper than a colonoscopy. I will likely pay just to confirm what they should already suspect but don’t.

EVOO is a non steroidal anti inflammatory, though some in the IBD community avoid them full stop. As you probably know EVOO has many other benefits so I would continue with the regimen.

Many here do well on SCD diet, also probiotics, L glutamine as well as some you have already mentioned. Always best to try one at a time so you know what is working or otherwise. There is a search facility here where you can find posts and information about them.

Most here will also agree that medication has dangers and to be wary of over dependancy. I believe the doctors know there are alternatives but meds are the only quick fix most have time for. Knowing full well that a significant amount will steadily decline until inevitable surgery.

I would look at stress management, good old fashioned lifestyle changes and keeping a close eye on any deficiencies you may have symptoms of. Many more with Crohns than UC work on deficiencies as malabsorption appears to be more of an issue for them but this is a mistake on our part I feel.

I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Proctitis. At first, I was able to get my disease into remission through a combination of medications. However, I had a flare up after getting off sulfasalazene (which renders a mans sperm temporarily useless) so my wife and I could have children.

I went back on the sulfa and it didn’t work. I was on canasa and sulfa, which worked to relieve symptoms but not all the way. I went on an oral steroid called Uceris. No improvement.

My doctor wanted to put me on Humira, which I read could cause a rare type of Lymphoma.

I’d had enough of ratcheting up to increasingly more powerful and dangerous medications. I decided to take control of my diet with an anti-inflammatory regimen.

Then I stumbled onto your posts about EVOO. I followed your advice to the tee. I’ve been taking 10 ml of EVOO three times a day before meals for over a month.

I’ve been in remission ever since.

This could also be because I’ve adopted an anti-inflammatory diet — I largely avoid dairy, gluten, red meat and high sugar foods. I supplement with foods known to be anti-inflammatory.

But I also believe the EVOO has helped dramatically.

I also feel that you helped me in some small way connect with my heritage. learned recently that my Grandmother, who lived in the olive tree dotted lands of Palestine, drank EVOO every day for her entire life. EVOO runs in my blood!

Thank you Graham for your posts to this website. I hope you’re doing well, and good luck with everything.

Thank you for sharing your news. I have tried all diets and only the EVOO stood out with any serious noteable improvements for me at least. Having said that we cannot ignore the evidence of a low inflammation diet and eating well for a sick body.

I love your comments about your heritage and firmly believe we have lost our way from our land and the food from it, even the way of life with our more stressful lives.

I am doing well since the hookworm, now 3 months since I quit smoking. Not a record but the remissions got shorter with every cessation, I believe it grew the size of the parasite colony every time. My allergies are worse which hookworm is believed to improve but the UC shows no signs or symptoms at the moment.

It’s been a while since I did an update. There was some blood etc so I had to smoke again after 4 months clear of symptoms. There were signs of parasites and I was wrongly advised with the initial medication. Anti helminth drugs kill the worms but not the eggs so we are supposed to have a repeat course within a few weeks to kill the adolescents before they can breed. An itchy bottom at night is a sign and I recently found out they get busy or go crazy on or near a full moon though have yet to acknowledge this for myself!

I may well still have UC but hey ho. I still feel 50% better since November when I took parasite drugs and began sublingual b12 (methyl cobalamin) plus iron. A recent MRI showed my spinal cord lesions had gone! This is not unheard of but still a great achievement. I believe this is partly due to the Mediterranean diet and anti inflammatory EVOO. But I am significantly better neurologically since discovering worms and undertaking a strategy to counteract the damage.

It’s great to have more of the old me back though I can’t and won’t be a workaholic again. Lifestyle improvements have bedded in, less money but smelling the roses and life is good.

I tried some garlic infused EVOO in Cyprus and it made my pizza taste awesome! Garlic is good against parasites and healthy so I am going to add this to my oil (hopefully not too smelly). Removing the plastic spout from the bottle is not difficult , I will then add a few cloves to the oil. Luckily just in case, I have parsley growing in the garden which counteracts garlic odour. Though garlic contained within the oil may prevent any problems. If I post again in a few days it could mean people have stopped talking to me!

I’ve been following your posts about evoo, and it seems to me that you only get transient alleviation of symptoms from it and whatever else you’re doing. I believe that Evoo is a great source of fat with main benefits going towards cardiovascular health. Now, when it comes to GI health, especially for those of us that have impaired bowels, EVOO is not a long-term effective choice. Olive oil kills bacteria. Not to the extent of olive leaf or oregano oil, but it still kills bacteria. No exogenous bacteria killer is selective: If it kills bacteria in the gut, it will kill any without differentiation. the only gut bacteria killer that kills bad bacteria in the intestines is GOOD BACTERIA. So, my advice is: Avoid whatever is making your bad bacteria proliferate (i.e. excess acidity from fermentation of non-digestible food and fibers,); build up a good intestinal flora (ie. Good probiotics, effective small amounts of prebiotics like butyric acid and FOS) and repair your gut tissue (Mucosa and epithelial cells) with amino acids like L-glutamine, L Threonine, BCAA’s, Hydrolyzed collagen, bone broth, etc.

I really appreciate you taking the time to add valuable comments, I am always happy to listen to advice.

I know I won’t win this war with EVOO alone and yet it remains consistently valuable to my well being. I have recently been giving thought to adding little gaps in my consumption. I read recently about how Oleocanthal killed cancer cells but also had a brief 15 minute paralysation of other healthy cells before they returned to normal. Perhaps identifying a negative to over consumption as well as your theory.

Pre and probiotics are something I constantly have an open mind to as I often read about the benefits. Most recently regarding people helping sinus and dental problems with these. I’ve had zero luck with probiotics as well as discomfort from Kefir and sauerkraut. I’ve not given up yet and do have a good selection of herbs and vegetables with a Mediterranean diet. I will look into how adopting your other suggestions may help.

Just a little update, in response to a recent post and some research information I tried using just 1 spoon of EVOO per day. No difference the 1st day but not good by the end of the 2nd. Aches, pains started along with an increase in flatulance and uncomfortable tummy. Back to 3 then

I am very well, thank you! No sign of UC at the present. It has been almost 10 years (less one or two small blips) in remission,

I know that I am very fortunate. Somehow, my regimen works for me. I wish it worked for everybody.

We all just keep on keeping on. When I said, way back when, that I would never take another UC drug…I guess I meant it. I still wouldn’t, even if I flared. My body just does not agree with medications of any kind.

That’s amazing Bev!
I cannot wait to read about your protocol once I read through this thread.
Is that glutamine, probiotics and LDN. Hopefully I will find your protocol on this site.
I have been ok for the past four years just by using diet and supplements, but tend to get minor seasonal flares, however this year it seem to be dragging on, so I’m totally freaked out.

I’ve just had to order some antihelminth drugs that apparently work better but are not available in the UK. Like you I am always reluctant about meds but only a very short course in this instance.

After several poor outcomes I may soon give the probiotics another go. I recently found out that people with histamine intolerance may not tolerate fermented foods (which I do not) due to high histamine content. The article helpfully suggested Histamine-degrading strains such as Bifidobacteria infantis and Lactobacillus plantarum. Just got to find some now.

L. Plantarum 299v is an awesome, super strain of probiotic. This one is great for UC erst or anyone who suffers from bloating, gas and cramping. You can take it in combination with your multi-spectrum probiotic to ease the side effects of probiotic inoculation. I think the best brand is one from Switzerland, from Vigor Pharma. In the US, you can get a good one from Jarrow called Intestinal Bowel Support…Pretty cheap too.

Always a struggle, but you’ll muddle through Graham…keep adjusting. We are our own Guinea pigs! Just FYI…I don’t know if you can get VSL #3 prescription over there or maybe you can call the company directly? They are offering huge discounts.http://vsl3.com/.
Hang in there and stay positive.
Best, Shelly

Thank you Shelly I believe they do prescribe VSL 3, though a waste of time asking my doc for anything.

I’ve just checked the strains and it contains both recommend for assisting with histamine (Bifidobacteria infantis and Lactobacillus plantarum). I’m guessing you already knew that .

It’s taken years to spot this likely additional histamine roadblock to wellness so onwards and upwards.

Off subject a little but I now understand that antihistamines can cause weight gain. Another recent read and some studies on this got me wondering about how I actually acquired a stone in weight and kept it. I thought it was due to some impact made on parasites or the digestive enzymes but it coincides more with the period on antihistamines. One swallow makes a summer not but an interesting consideration for those of us wasting away.

I’ve been back on them for two weeks and the weight that was dropping slightly has rebounded.

Interesting that you mentioned Avocado Oil, I have noticed some similarities between the two over the years and it definitely requires further examination. It’s slightly Jurassic in size and probably history compared to the olive but shares many attributes. The fatty acid breakdown/vitamin content is very similar, it also reduces LDL and increases HDL.

Off cigarettes 3 weeks now and took 3 x 400mg Albendazole (antiworm) over a week ago. I was expecting another nasty reaction but nothing yet. VSL3 on board (thanks Shelly) and none of the usual PB bloating or restrictions this time. In this short period (ignoring the “one thing at a time” mantra) I have also done a few crude mini EVOO enemas and this has somewhat got my attention. Despite the initial discomfort I have felt better down there with a greater sense of energy and wellbeing. Not uncommon with enemas apparently.

What got my attention was the material that came out, sometimes white mucas type matter with what appeared to be a more obvious than ever, number of worms.

I recently sent some worm suspects to the docs for identification and they messed up the label so the lab disposed of them! Now armed with my own microscope I took a close look at a few (as one does). They 100% looked like worms but with no obvious head, they we’re cocooned by a very thick mucas type layer, with odd bulges and twists.

Following an enema you can find what some call intestinal lining but what are also referred to as ropeworm, mucas plaque and biofilm. It appears Biofilm is a recent phenomenon linked to Crohns but also UC and other problems of the digestive tract. I cannot find a great deal about it but the closer I look the more it makes sense.

Instead of a healthy mucas layer that functions like a safe two way street, this is a well guarded breeding ground for bad bacteria. It apparently protects parasites and other bad things from successful identification and elimination by our immune system. It has human DNA but is suggested to be somewhat “unknown”. Many theories are out there and unfortunately not enough facts. One notorious therapy involves an enema with a bleach type substance! As crazy as that sounds this similar biofilm is found in the mouth and creates gum disease and plaque. I also suffer with this and have done since or around the same time as UC and hydrogen peroxide seems to be the only thing to touch it.

Specific types of digestive enzymes are effective at gradually breaking this down and I am looking in to this. Probiotics are highly recommended with any eradication strategy and interestingly so is the SCD diet. It would seem sensible to do this slowly and patiently for us with fragile colons.

If anyone has any experience or opinion on this I would love to hear from you.

I have added a link (1) which refers to findings that biofilms are highly involved in colorectal cancers. Its not the full story but there is a good deal of other recent information regarding biofilms out there. It is also understood that probiotics reduce these films. Some other findings (2) were that Oxylipins encourage the growth and integrity of these films. Polyunsaturated fats (around 10% in EVOO) increase oxylipins, oleocanthal and oleacein from early harvest EVOO reduces them. There is also an entirely separate study (3a) stating that the remaining material left from producing EVOO inhibited biofilm growth. They indicated this material would be useful in the food industry where biofilms are apparently a huge problem (3). Another study (4) stated that soaps made from EVOO and Virgin Coconut Oil were effective against biofilm.

A long time ago I made the assumption that we needed to seek out the strongest oil to obtain the greatest benefit and improve the EVOO regimen. I travelled to Tuscany, met an expert and later assessed 2 different oils (1 local, 1 Spanish) but sadly the benefit wasn’t that tangible. There were reasons to conclude that paying a premium for the best oil may not actually be what we required but I may have thrown the baby out with the bath water.

The sensory tasting method was and still is the main recognised way of scoring EVOO but there are several different components (all in different quantities) that make a good oil and until very recently no way of knowing how many of each without very expensive chemical testing. Even then they would be scored with polyphenol levels but no available breakdown of type (to us at least).

I have been in contact with Marilyn and Athan at https://aristoleo.com/ they are working with scientists who have patented a simple testing system to measure the levels of oleocanthal and oleocein. These two are reported to be the most important 2 constituents responsible for EVOO’s health benefits.

Athan and Marilyn know my story and many others like it, they were very impressed and interested in assisting. Athan very kindly met up with me in Cyprus, he brought his test kit and tested 2 oils there and then. My M&S Italian and another from Greece that he knew I would be impressed with.

The oil I currently recommend scored over 250 which he said was good and over the threshold for the EU’s heart health status EVOO label. His was over 1000! This tool can not only score oil in the way no label has before it also helps growers make the very high oleocanthal oleocein oils. By trial and error and tweaking their processes in association with very accurate measuring. I reluctantly admitted to Athan that I hadn’t been impressed with the Greek and Cyprus oils I had tried in the past but this is so obviously changing. A few days before I met Athan a restaurant owner opened a bottle for me and I was impressed but mainly surprised how good it was.

Essentially I now have 2 new and very high quality oils. I will try them at home and go again with the quality theory. Hopefully, if necessary, I can provide a clearer direction of what to buy and where to buy it. As you know there is only one guinea pig but at least now some better science is involved!

I tried 10 days on the super high polyphenol EVOO and although I am currently smoking there has been a persistent awareness of my tummy not being quite happy. I was also on holiday and drinking everyday so not everything was perfect before I tried it. I am certain though that as we found before, very high quality oil has a slightly negative component, probably the antioxidant part.

I came across a very interesting study below that was almost made for this subject and it also confirms my findings. It is well worth a read and as a result I have a new strategy that after only a few days has settled my tummy down nicely.

I will try and translate the oil used to how we may know and find it. There are 3 oils in the study, one typically supermarket oil of very average quality that would provide a little throat irritation, one very high polyphenol oil that would likely induce the cough when taken neat by spoon. Finally the same high polyphenol oil with thyme.

All 3 had proven benefits using different measures including CRP and before/after gut bacteria levels, very interesting. The high ppl oil did increase the immune response though only slightly. The benefits of all are too good to ignore but I now propose using the cheap oil twice a day and the high ppl oil only once. You can buy or create your own thyme infused oil but this is not something we can easily do or take each day. I would suggest the high strength oil be taken before lunch with some plant based foods/herbs or in the morning with something similar.

Have you ever looked into Vitamin D supplementation? There is a dr in Brazil that uses high does D to put autoimmune conditions into remission with great success. I noticed in an earlier post you mentioned two of your flares came to an end in your summer? And you also mentioned the incidence of UC in relation to those who change their watches (seasonal) and their distance from the equator. I would be super keen to know if you’d be willing to run a vitamin D experiment on yourself to see if it helps. There are many groups on FB for Dr Coimbra and his protocol as well as YouTube videos. Please let me know your thoughts on this, if any.

I am a great believer in vitamin D but I can’t say that I’ve noticed the benefit personally. I had a Transverse Myelitis attack 5 years ago and the neurologist put me on it. Complications of TM can include bowel issues so unfortunately it was impossible for me to assess it. With so many advocates and seeing my father return 10 years younger so many times ffrom his long breaks in the Mediterranean it’s a no brainier.

My summer flares could well be due to the end if hayfever season, normally late June – July. I noticed the possibly significant timing of this after reading the study below. It suggested that the immune system can be distracted or diverted from it’s present activity. Inflammation from an injury site was diverted by the introduction of another perceived pathogen.

Perhaps the colon is ignored during hayfever season and then once over it could be bored or as over active, looking for something to do. Maybe that’s another reason smoking helps, all those toxins keeping the immune system busy or distracted.

EVOO is probably the only natural thing I have not tried for my UC in the past 10 years. I do have an organic Spanish oil in my larder that does give the throuat burn.
Just catching up with posts from 2014, but scrolled to the end. Is there another oil you recommend now? I’m in the UK and was planning on getting the oil from M&S, but would be happy to hear if you have other recommendations.
Have your tried the EVOO enemas? Just reading re those and interestingly was thinking about the same thing yesterday night as I have Ulcerative Proctitis. I seem to get seasonal flares, but they very very mild the past four years, however this year it has been dragging on and off for months. So frustrating. My diet is squeaky clean and I try to manage stress the best as I can.

Oh, just read that you did the enemas.
I often ponder re biofilm as I wonder if that plays a part in my flares as I have done herbal cleanses with great results in the past, but maybe the biofilm protects these little buggers.
I could be the only person who does not do well on VSL 3. I get bad pimples every time I take it, so now have over two packs that has expired in my fridge. Ouch! As they are super pricey.
I’m trying homemade soy kefir as get pimples even from lactose free dairy, never had a problem with dairy or food sensitivities till I got sick.
SCD did not work for me. AIP was best for me out of all the protocols I have tried.

I am well thank you. I’ve just had 7 months without cigarettes which for me is pretty good. I think the CBD oil & cinnamon made the extra difference this time. Though I now also hold the EVOO under my tongue for a minute or so as is recommended with the CBD oil. I still endorse the M&S oil and only that specific one. It scores well in tests, too high is no good as is too low.

My inflammation is in the same area as yours but unfortunately the enemas didn’t seem to help. A good deal of white type biofilm came out and I am sure this is part of the problem, like you say it likely protects the pathogens. It is also very likely my oil is too strong to use directly at the affected area. As I found personally and in studies, (taken orally) very high polyphenol EVOO has great anti inflammatory but can actually increase the immune response, 250 ppl (M&S) does not.

Same here with VSL and Kefir as well as probiotics in general, sadly no joy for me.

I did have extensive stool testing and amongst other things Klebselia Pneumoniae was there in high numbers. I have found evidence that nicotine reduces this and the only natural compound that also does is cinnamon so I always have a stick of it breaking down in my EVOO bottles.

Thank you so much for your response!
I’m really glad that you are doing well!

Could you please tell me which CBD oil you use and how much. I have looked into this in the past but could not find any that looked decent or was affordable. I know it’s big in the US.
I do consume lots of cinnamon as I love it. I put it into everything. Well almost!

I had a trcky back and the osteopath recommended going online to CBD Brothers. I first tried it from Holland and Barrett just to make sure it was ok but they are more expensive. It is legal, the psychoactive part is removed so you won’t start calling everybody man!

It’s funny going to M&S for our medicine, I usually grab 3-4 bottles as the Italian “fruity with a peppery finish” is the only one that sells out (Hertfordshire). Perhaps people are listening to me . I am certain you won’t regret it.

Thanks for your resoonse! I have contemplated trying CBD oil from H&B in the past, but decided against it because the reviews weren’t great.
Haha, just read up a little re CBD oil and indeed the psychoactive ingredient is removed.
I have ordered some from Simply CBD as did not realise (forgot to tick the notify botton) that you had responded to me. They give zero advice on how and how much to take, but found a guide from a place that sells CBD products at eye watering prices. They must be good, right! I see many places suggesting that one needs to find their sweet spot… Hmmm… I saw some people taking only 2 drops/day, but the guide I looked through suggests several drops 3-5x/day. May I ask how much CBD oil you take?
Also, saw CBD suppositories for €49.00/10. A touch steep, so thought about making my own. I have made vitamin E/butyric acid ones in the past.

Thanks re the olive oil. I’m on day two, so early days. Taking lots of fresh turmeric and ginger as well and had seen no visible blood the past two days. Fingers crossed that maybe this horrific flare out of the blue was just due to me having a big lingering or reacting to onions or tomatoes (I avoid nightshades normally, but was feeling so great I thought I would have some. And I seem to have developed sensitivity to onions and eggs the past couple of years).

I will definitely let you know re everything. When well I “only” get seasonal flares, but this year something has gone wrong.

Targeting directly at the site of inflammation is something doctors and many people focus on. When I finally tuned in to my body and listened more carefully I realised that the many itis’s and problems were suggesting inflammation throughout the body and that it may just happily resides at our weak spots.

Also the oil may not reverse a flare for you but does it’s best work preventing one once things are healed. This was reported in the initial discovery by Dr A Hart and proven many times over with my own flare cycles.

I used CBD oil and had over 6 months without a flare. This was much better than recent attempts and it was only the oil that had been added to my regimen. It’s worth a try, I will use it again once I stop cigarettes again.